Conventional energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) disk drives generally include an EAMR assembly with a conventional laser diode (e.g., laser) mounted to a sub-mount which is attached to a slider that can be suspended over a recording media disk. The sub-mount is helpful to dissipate excess thermal energy from the laser and to provide connectivity for electrical signals to the laser.
The sub-mount or heat sink for the laser diode is typically made by lapping and dicing ceramic materials, such as SiC and AN. However, the resulting variations in the dimensions of the product using these techniques are in the tens of micrometers. Variations of this scale can be too high for some applications, including, for example, an EAMR application where tight tolerances may be required. As such, a need exists for improved methods for fabricating components with precise dimension control.